1
as in held
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
take my hand, or we'll get separated in this crowd
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in had
to agree to receive whether willingly or reluctantly
will you take that call? took a cut in pay
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in got
to become affected with (a disease or disorder)
if you don't cover your head in this weather, you'll take cold and be stuck inside all weekend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in chose
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
you can take the white side this time, since I got to be white for our last chess game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in bought
to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for
I'll take two cheeseburgers to go, please
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in needed
to have as a requirement
it will take a lot of courage to stand up for what is right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
9
as in stood
to put up with (something painful or difficult)
I can't take anymore of your whining about your former boyfriend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in believed
to regard as right or true
I think we can take his word for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in defeated
to achieve a victory over
I know we can take that team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in managed
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
let's take each problem separately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in received
to offer entrance (as to a place, school, or privilege) to
the school takes only a small percentage of the thousands of applicants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
14
as in killed
to deprive of life
I never thought heart disease would take such an athletic and health-conscious person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of took
After the second red card, Mexico took its foot off the gas again and was met with whistles from the crowd, who were hungry for more goals.
—
Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
His 10-year-old son died after paramedics took him to a nearby hospital with severe injuries.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 12 June 2026
The Cadets trailed 1-0 through three innings Thursday, but took the lead in the fourth on a single from Brody Cashill that plated a pair.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 12 June 2026
The Spurs star might've had a point as San Antonio took a 76-49 lead into halftime.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026
After persisting with her complaint, the union took legal advice and was told that requesting intimate measurements could breach data protection regulations.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 June 2026
Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty told Variety during Xbox Games Showcase, which took place on Sunday amid the ongoing Game Fest events.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 11 June 2026
The city took control of the food truck park property at 510 Farmington Ave.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
Brendan Banfield and the 26-year-old au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, both took the stand during the double-murder trial and offered conflicting accounts about the killings.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 5 June 2026
Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
His 10-year-old son died after paramedics took him to a nearby hospital with severe injuries.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 12 June 2026
The Cadets trailed 1-0 through three innings Thursday, but took the lead in the fourth on a single from Brody Cashill that plated a pair.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 12 June 2026
The Spurs star might've had a point as San Antonio took a 76-49 lead into halftime.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026
After persisting with her complaint, the union took legal advice and was told that requesting intimate measurements could breach data protection regulations.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 June 2026
Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty told Variety during Xbox Games Showcase, which took place on Sunday amid the ongoing Game Fest events.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 11 June 2026
The city took control of the food truck park property at 510 Farmington Ave.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
Brendan Banfield and the 26-year-old au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, both took the stand during the double-murder trial and offered conflicting accounts about the killings.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 5 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took
Verb
-
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.—
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The water, too, was wild—the Allegheny and its tributaries had yet to be dammed, and Flag Swamp was noted as one of the last hideouts for beavers in the state.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Elections officials still had about 13,000 ballots left to count across all of Yolo County as of Tuesday afternoon.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
In North Texas’ first World Cup match since 1994, Japan got a late equalizer to battle to a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
-
As the clock ticked down, Fox missed a 3-pointer and the Knicks got the rebound.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
But the bullpen picked him up with five scoreless innings until Bradgley Rodriguez buckled in the 10th inning and Matsui did the same in the 11th.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
Investments continued to pour in, and the development boom that had taken hold in the ’90s picked right back up again.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Foaled in 2021, he was purchased by the Baoma Corporation for $550,000 as a two-year old and placed in the Bob Baffert barn.—
Danny Brewer,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The company adds customers who purchased formula from its website in May or June will receive an automatic refund while others may request a refund.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour told ABC that Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Andersen didn’t dress in Game 4 and was listed as a healthy scratch; Brind’Amour said after the game that Andersen, who’d played every minute of the postseason until Game 3, needed a rest.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The center's restaurants and café have vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items marked on their menus, and food allergies and special dietary needs will be accommodated as much as possible.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
Beginning in 1978 when the city started to build Reunion Arena, the city of Dallas accommodated both the Mavericks and Stars with buildings that became key pieces to its growing downtown landscape.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks elected to foul rather than allow San Antonio to attempt a tying three and the strategy worked exactly as intended.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
In the 1970s, what was then West Germany co-produced the Tornado bomber with the UK and Italy; then in the 1990s Germany worked with the UK, Italy and Spain to produce the dog-fighting Eurofighter jet.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
